BenzGuy72

ok, i checked my rod bearings after taking forever to get that stupid oil pan off. ya, it wasn't the rod bearings.... i think it's the lifters. so i'm going to put my bottom end back together tomorrow night, and then take my cam housing off and check my valve lifters. i purchased new timing and balance shaft belts, should get them by friday. i also need to get a crank seal, since mine is leaking. i'm going to get a kriket tool and do the belts myself. my question is, where can i get those valve lifters other than a dealership?? thanks, matt

Legoland951

Dang that is a lot of work to take the pan and carrier off to find its another problem. I always hate that miserable oil in the face feeling. Make sure its the lifters since they do not make the same kind of noise as a rod. If you think its the lifters, try a heavier oil first and if it makes less noise then its probably lifters unless you have piston slap or something crazy. Use one of those mechanic's stethoscopes to pinpoint which lifter is making the noise before you rip it all apart.

M758

You know.. Make sure you change the rod bearings. They might not be bad, but since you are right there it is really worth it. As you know it was alot of work to get there. A rod bearing set is really cheap. Something like $100 so it is worth a change.

Lifters are VERY expensive. I replaced the set on my race motor and they cost me about $400 for the set. I figured it was worth it since I was rebuilding the motor and I had two sets. 1 that when through a seized rod bearing and blown-up motor so there was a potential for metal debris inside. The other in unknown condition on high milage motor with a blown head gasket.

Since I knew the motor was going to see alot of high RPM duty I decided to bite the bullet and get new one for the rebuild.
The nice thing is that the engine is really quiet now!

BenzGuy72

ok, well, i originally thought it was a lifter, the noise was right above the No 1 cylinder, in the cam area. i thought it might be the piston hitting the head, but then i checked the rod bearings, and they are fine, they look almost brand new, i guess it wouldn't hurt to order a set of those while i'm at it, i can get some for 50 bucks from thepartsbin.com. i ordered the timing belt and balance shaft belt, since i needed them, that's why i'm going to take off the cam housing and check the lifters, since i have the belt off anyways. one question i have is, how would i know if a lifter is bad? also, what are the adverse effects of a bad lifter?? will it cause major damage. i had 5w30 oil in there, i thought that was a little too thin, so i thickened it up with some lucas oil treatment, when i was on a trip i started hearing some noise. what could i do after i get my engine back together to maybe fix the problem w/out replacing the lifters, i read about putting a QT of atf in the engine and running it for about 30 min. could i also try an engine flush? to try and clean out any varnish? lemme know what options i have and what i'm looking for if i do take apart the cam housing for a bad lifter.

lehtola

I wouldn't put any of that engine flush in it. that would have the potential of dislodging other debris that could really clog up the lifters. Go with 50 weight oil and some oil treatment. See what that does first before you try an engine flush.

BenzGuy72

alright, also, should i try the ATF?

BenzGuy72

before i do that, i gotta get the engine back together. i figure before i replace the timing and balance shaft belt i might try to clean it first... to try and fix it that way before i tear off the cam housing. is there any way to adjust the lifters?? thanks, matt

lehtola

Is that an oil treatment? If so, then yes. I've used stp oil treatment in an old truck of mine. It is so thick, it takes forever just to come out of the container.

BenzGuy72

ATF = Auto Transmission Fluid

pete944

I always heard 944's like 20W50.

lehtola

No!!! Don't put that in the engine oil. That stuff is too thin.

lehtola

you can't adjust lifters but you can adjust the rockers.

BenzGuy72

ah, ok... i see. well someone said in a previous post to put a quart of ATF in the engine along with normal oil and run for about 30 min to try and fix a lifter problem. hmmm... i am confused. does this car have rockers?? my haynes manual isn't very detailed. i've worked on Nissan z engines and mercedes engines, very simualar in design, the early z engines are easy to work on.

david fracolli

huh?????

M758

No rockers. Cam runs direclty on the lifters which directly push the valves.

There are no adjustments that I am aware of on the valve train.

I run Mobil 1 15w50 in my rebuilt race motor.
20w50 dino in my 944 Turbo S with 117k.